Billy Bob Thornton

Though he spent almost a decade struggling to make a name for himself, actor Billy Bob Thornton took matters into his own hands when he wrote, directed and starred in the career-making independent dra...
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Billy Bob Thornton warns against marrying young

By:
WENN.com
Oct 21, 2013

Actor Billy Bob Thornton has warned young couples not to marry too young. The Monster's Ball star has wed five times, including a three-year union with actress Angelina Jolie, but each marriage ended in divorce and he is convinced he was too inexperience to handle the responsibility of family life.
His first wife was Melissa Lee Gatlin in his early 20s and they had a daughter, but Thornton admits he was too young to care for his family.
He writes in Britain's The Sun newspaper, "I should not have married and become a father so young. It is not fair on your wife and kid, because I still had so much to do. And perhaps I never did learn the lesson on marriage since I've been married five times."

'Bad Santa'/Screen Gems
Peter Dinklage will be taking a break from navigating the politics of Westeros in order to get a little raunchy. The actor is attached to star in a new R-rated comedy that is being developed by Paramount. The film will center around a man who tells people that he is a real leprechaun, and will reportedly balance out its hard-R nature with an emotional center. It is being described as having a similar feel to 2003's Bad Santa, which starred Billy Bob Thornton as filthy department store Santa, and Jason Bateman's directorial debut Bad Words, which centers around foul-mouthed spelling bee contestants... meaning Dinklage's film will plausibly have the word "bad" in the title, and be full of cursing.
Other than the vaguest of descriptions, not much is known about the project, which will be written by Bad Words' Andrew Dodge. However, no matter what they attempt to throw at him, Dinklage's run on Game Of Thrones has to have prepared him for whatever foul language, nudity, violence, or combinations thereof will be thrown his way. Once you start competing for the Iron Throne, almost nothing can shock you. Dinklage will also be able to bring some gravitas to the role, as his performance in The Station Agent proves that he is a very talented dramatic actor.
Dinklage will next appear as Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which hits theaters in 2014, as well as A Case of You alongside Evan Rachel Wood and Justin Long, who wrote and produced the film. And of course, he will continue to play Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones when the show returns early next year.
More: Watch Justin Long Facebook Stalk Evan Rachel Wood in the 'A Case of You' Trailer'Game of Thrones' Star Peter Dinklage Visits 'Sesame Street'More Proof That Peter Dinklage is Playing Bolivar Trask in 'X-Men'?
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Tom Hanks' actor son Colin has joined the cast of the TV revamp of cult Coen Brothers movie Fargo. He will play a police deputy in the 10-episode series, inspired by the 1996 film, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman have previously been cast as characters portrayed on the big screen by Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy.

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In 1996, the Coen Bros introduced us to a snow-clogged little town in North Dakota where one of the greatest crime stories of all time took place. Where quaint small-time values came head to head with city-slicker evil, and where a certain actor came head to head with a wood chipper. Seventeen years ago, Fargo helped redefine the crime film and now it's coming to your TV with a certain Hobbit in tow.
Martin Freeman has been been cast in FX's cable reboot of the Coen Bros' classic film, playing Lester Nygaard, a hapless insurance salesman partly based on the William H. Macy character in the original film. Lester's life is plagued by a nagging wife, but his situation changes drastically when a mysterious drifter named Lorde Malvo (Billy Bob Thorton) rolls into town and sets Lester down a dark path of destruction.
The new series promises to tell a whole new story in its limited 10-episode run, instead of completely following the story of the 1996 original. The very British Martin Freeman is certainly a versatile actor, but just how well will he be able to transport himself into the Coens' quirky and slightly twisted version of the American North? The actor would have to master the standard American accent — already quite a challenge for some of our favorite actors from accross the Atlantic — and then slather on a thick coating of Dakota-style singsong on top. It might be difficult for Freeman to balance between faithful recreation and parody, but if any Brit is up for the task, it's Dr. Watson himself, don't-cha-know!
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The Hobbit star Martin Freeman will take on William H. Macy's role in the TV revamp of Coen Brothers movie Fargo. The Brit will play Lester Nygaard in the 10-episode limited series inspired by the cult 1996 film, which earned Macy a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod.
Freeman joins Billy Bob Thornton among the cast for the TV spin-off, set in Minnesota.
Joel and Ethan Coen, who wrote, directed and produced the film, will executive produce the project.

Grand Theft Auto V obliterated records, selling $800 million in its first 24 hours and over $1 billion within its first three days, becoming the fast-selling entertainment product of all time. It would only make sense to turn the already movie-like game into an actual movie. If film studios are already five steps ahead of me and a script is in development, we'd love to help you out with the casting process. Each of the three main characters is so distinct and colorful that they'd be dream parts for actors. Here are our casting picks for Michael, Franklin, and Trevor.
Michael De Santa
Michael De Santa is a former bank robber turned family man. Before a bank heist gone wrong, he led a long life of crime that included everything from narcotics smuggling to starting his own prostitution racket. His partner in crime was Trevor Philips, another main character in the game, but they grew apart as Michael started a family. After the disastrous bank job, Michael and his family entered witness protection and started new lives, getting rich in the process. His current life is far from satisfying, however, since his wife and kids don't show him much respect. When he meets Franklin Clinton, he reenters the crime world and reunites with his old partner, Trevor, but their new dynamic is less than collaborative. Michael is constantly torn between being a good guy for his family and being tempted to unleash his homocidal side as a criminal. His therapist says he is "addicted to chaos."
To fill Michael's role, the actor needs to be able to play both a convincing tough-guy criminal and a dejected father and husband going through a mid-life crisis. Someone around 45, a little on the heavy side, with authoritative screen presence. Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, Tom Sizemore, and Alec Baldwin would all fit this category perfectly. They have all played criminals and gangsters in their careers, while Liotta and Baldwin can easily turn on their sensitive sides as the worn-out family man. Each one is a seasoned actor who can convey the complexities and nuances of such a torn man. Plus, they all fit the bill in terms of physical appearance. It all comes down to whose husky voice the director prefers.
Franklin Clinton
This guy's name sounds like an intersection in deep Brooklyn, but he's a gangbanger from the Los Angeles-inspired fictional city of Los Santos. Franklin had a tough upbringing in South Los Santos, getting involved with street gangs and dealing drugs from a young age. After going to prison for dealing, he decides to move up in the criminal underworld upon his release. When he meets Armenian gangster Simeon Yetarian, Franklin becomes a repo man for his loansharking and extortion business. And when Franklin meets Michael, he gets even deeper into crime.
Franklin is younger than the other two characters, at about 25 years old. He's confident, ambitious, and street-smart. Some actors we'd like to see try out for the role of Franklin are Brian White, Cory Hardrict, Chris Brown, and Columbus Short. Brian White has incredible range as an actor and can pull off just about any role, and judging by his performance as an underground street fighter in Fighting, we know he can pull off tough-guy Franklin. Even though he's best known as a musician, Chris Brown was a natural in Takers, in which he played a cocky bank robber. And Hardrict and Short are under-the-radar candidates who could explode onto the scene if they deliver strong performances.
Trevor Philips
Trevor's character is the most exciting to cast out of the three, simply because he is pretty much insane. From an early age, Trevor has dealt with rage issues and violent impulses, which could largely be a result of his abusive father. As an adult, he discovers a knack for robbery, and when he meets Michael, they become heist partners. The two also become close friends, and they have a successful heist run until that fateful job. When Trevor and Michael are reunited years later, it appears that their friendship does not survive the time apart, and they continuously argue throughout the game's missions.
Finding an actor who can nail such an unhinged and unpredictable character might be a challenge, but luckily we have Nicolas Cage. Cage is synonymous with unhinged. And if he were to be paired up with someone like Baldwin or Liotta, the buzz surrounding the movie would be deafening. Other actors to consider include Billy Bob Thornton, who can easily do crazy redneck, Elias Koteas, who was downright chilling as arsonist Andrew Laeddis in Shutter Island, and Kim Coates, who oozes sleaze and has seen his fair share of violence on Sons of Anarchy.
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When shots rang out on a November morning, the whole world was changed forever. The assassination of John F. Kennedy sent shockwaves throughout the entire country, but the new film Parkland focuses on the select few men and women who saw it happen. The film seems not to be so much about President Kennedy or his life, but more specifically on the unsung men and women who sprung to action after his death.
Parkland showcases, from multiple perspectives, the race to save the President's life, the events of the investigation, and the life of the family of Lee Harvey Oswald. In a cast littered with Hollywood talent, Paul Giamatti plays the man who mistakenly captures the assassination on tape, Tom Welling and Billy Bob Thornton play secret service agents attempting to catch the shooter, and a scruffy Zac Efron plays a doctor tasked with saving the Commander-in-Chief's life.
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The cast also includes Marcia Gay Harden, Jackie Earl Haley, James Badge Dale, and Jacki Weaver. If the trailer is any indication, Parkland looks like the type of meaty historical drama that will have Oscar voters buzzing early next year. At the very least, the film looks to have the 1960's aesthetics nailed right down to the skinny ties and classic cars.
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For some, cable television is a hospice of joy and laughter. A respite from your day-to-day routine of stress, agony, and despair of all kinds. But others think all that escapism and that feel-goodery is hippie nonsense — bring on more darkness! Sons of Anarchy heeds the cries of this population, offering a treachery-laden series that ups the ante on its output of shudders and grimaces week after week, season after season. The latest promo for the FX series is stocked with some heavy omens, promising an impressive sixth year on air.
The trailer features the central characters riding slowly past a brick wall, painted with some familiar faces... faces that quickly succumb to detonated doom. Catch the new season when it arrives on FX come Sept. 10.
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Billy Bob Thornton has signed on to star in the TV adaptation of cult Coen Brothers movie Fargo. The Oscar nominee will play Lorne Malvo, a role based on Steve Buscemi's original character from the 1996 Oscar-nominated film, which also featured Frances McDormand and William H. Macy.
The Coen brothers will executive produce the FX network project.
FX Networks CEO John Landgraf says, "It's hard to describe how remarkably true to the film it is. I think people are going to be entranced with that show."

So what, exactly, is Billy Bob Thornton these days? A washed-up has-been? A still-great icon just biding time before his next great exploit? A cult sensation simmering with grandeur inches below the radar? What feelings are meant to be conjured up at the utterance of his multitude of names? The actor, who hasn't done much in the vein of memorable cinema lately, is vying for a place on the small screen with his old friends the Coen Bros in the television adaptation of Fargo. On the show, as reported by Deadline, Thornton will play the manipulative antagonist Lorne Malvo, who serves as the slithering sorcerer to the FX limited series' small town good guy hero.
Thornton should have quite a good deal of fun with a sadistic Coen creation, drawing upon his The Man Who Wasn't there days as the ruthless, desperate Ed Crane. But the original film Fargo, as we remember it, had quite the different sort of villain: as Carl Showalter, Steve Buscemi was an anxious weasel. His associate Peter Stormare was dead-eyed, closed-mouthed, and cold-blooded. Ed had a steady hand but no dearth of flowing color, and it sounds like Thornton's new character is closer to this outline than to either of Fargo's big screen baddies.
Stylized as a snake in the Garden of Eden, Thornton seems to be operating with the upper hand and with a uniquely evil sensibility based on his character summation alone. On the other hand, Buscemi and Stormare felt like crooked splinters in a large plank of rotting wood that was North Dakota's frozen hellhole. So what will that make of the Fargo TV show? Something altogether different from the bizarre and bleak fan favorite movie, but not absent of the Coen Bros style. The Man Who Wasn't There might not have championed the cult fervor that Fargo has, but it stands as an excellent piece of work with a lead character worthy of our cinematic memories. So to see him reinvented, to some degree, on the small screen? We're on board.
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Landed a recurring role on the CBS sitcom "Hearts Afire" (CBS) as Billy Bob Davis; first collaboration with John Ritter

Summary

Though he spent almost a decade struggling to make a name for himself, actor Billy Bob Thornton took matters into his own hands when he wrote, directed and starred in the career-making independent drama, "Sling Blade" (1996), which earned the then-unknown performer an Oscar for Best Screenplay and another nomination for Best Actor. Ever since his sudden rise to stardom, Thornton became a prominent leading man and supporting player whose short-lived but high-profile marriage to offbeat starlet Angelina Jolie overshadowed his exemplary work in films like "Monster's Ball" and "The Man Who Wasn't There" (2001). After their divorce, Thornton receded a bit from the public eye, though he continued his streak of fine performances in "Bad Santa" (2003) and "Friday Night Lights" (2004), two wildly different films that displayed his prowess for disappearing into what ever character he played. Occasionally, Thornton incorporated his own personal issues - namely his battles with eating and obsessive-compulsive disorders, like a fear of Louis XIV furniture - into his characters, as he did in "Bandits" (2001). Despite his seemingly bizarre personal life, Thornton nonetheless maintained a steady stream of quality work that always kept him near the top of the game.

Born June 30, 1979; mother, Melissa Lee Gatlin; Indicted on several charges - including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter - in connection with the October 2008 death of a 1-year-old girl she was babysitting; In June 2011 was convicted of aggravated manslaughter, but acquitted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges; On Oct. 6, 2011 in Orlando, FL, Brumfield was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter of a child

Co-starred in "Pushing Tin" (1999); Eloped in Las Vegas, NV May 5, 2000; sexually charged marriage was subject of much tabloid fodder that included carrying vials of each others' blood around their necks; Jolie had tattoo on her arm that read "Billy Bob"; Separated June 2002; Jolie filed for divorce July 17, 2002; Divorced May 27, 2003

Maddox Jolie-Pitt

Son

Adopted from Cambodia in 2002 with then wife Angelina Jolie; Gave up parental rights after their divorce in 2003

Education

Name

Henderson State University

Notes

"When a studio treats me badly, I remember it. I have no patience for studio executives who treat me like an idiot or tell me how my characters should talk." – Thornton quoted in The Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24, 1996

"I'm one of those people who just attract weirdos. I always seem to end up, like, in the middle of the desert with some biker, you know, and he's threatening to tie me up or something. I've known a lot of strange people." – Thornton in Time Out New York, Nov. 21-28, 1996

"Now there's a call I never used to get. That was my manager asking me what hotel I want to stay in when we're on location. They used to say, 'You're staying at the Holiday Inn, and that's it.' Now they give me a list of the four or five best hotels in the area, and let me pick." – Thornton to Detour magazine, March 1998

Thornton admitted to suffering from anorexia when he lost 60 pounds for his role in "Pushing Tin" (1999).

"There's a real common misconception that I'm like a big deal. I'm really not. I'm a big deal only because of people like Roger Ebert, Jeffrey Lyons, Joel Siegel, critics like that. That's the only reason anybody ever hears about me." – Thornton quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, Feb. 7, 2002

"I like outcasts of society. I've felt like one myself. Still do. I'm a fairly normal person, really, contrary to what they write in the papers. Fairly normal. But I kind of don't fit in." – Thornton to the Sydney Morning Herald, Feb. 7, 2002

"I'm looking forward to having a little one around. We're planning to give Maddox a life there [Cambodia] too. He'll know both places as home." – Thornton on adopting with wife Jolie to People magazine, July 2002

Thorton played in cover bands for Creedence Clearwater Revival and ZZ Top. He also worked as a roadie with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Paycheck, and Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

Thornton never mentioned fourth wife Jolie by name, he does provide some seemingly expert advice on marriage, suggesting that first-timers, "go into it with the idea that you want it to last, but don't put pressure on yourself to try to achieve perfection every day, because I think that's when you get into trouble." In summation, says Thornton, "those about to march down the aisle should be thinking, Like, yeah, I'm doing this forever, but don't let it freak you out." – from People magazine, Sept. 4, 2003

"One of my favorite things I ever did," he says of 'The Man Who Wasn't There.' "And I gotta tell you something: If I had to say exactly who I am based on the movies I've done, that's him, that son of a b*tch right there. But the character I identify with on a soul level more than anything I've ever done was the character in 'A Simple Plan.' It's that f*cking scene where I talk to [Hank, played by Bill Paxton] before he kills me. I can watch that and not even recognize it's a movie or an actor. And I can break it down to one line: when I look at him and say, 'Hank, I'm tired.' That's the most honest line I've done in my lifetime. 'I'm tired.' And I am. I mean, I've gone so far beyond where I should have played out. I'm so f*cking tired. So f*cking tired, but I'm gonna get a second wind." – Thornton quoted in GQ magazine, April 2004

Thornton played drums and provided vocals for the band The Boxmasters. The band released the albums. The Boxmasters and the holiday album Christmas Cheer were both released in 2008, and their third album Modbilly was released in 2009.